Apocalypse (Almost) Now

If America's secular liberals think they have it rough now, just wait till the Second Coming.

The "Left Behind" series, the best-selling novels for adults in the U.S., enthusiastically depict Jesus returning to slaughter everyone who is not a born-again Christian. The world's Hindus, Muslims, Jews and agnostics, along with many Catholics and Unitarians, are heaved into everlasting fire: "Jesus merely raised one hand a few inches and . . . they tumbled in, howling and screeching."

If Saudi Arabians wrote an Islamic version of this series, we would furiously demand that sensible Muslims repudiate such hatemongering. We should hold ourselves to the same standard.

Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, the co-authors of the series, have both e-mailed me (after I wrote about the "Left Behind" series in July) to protest that their books do not "celebrate" the slaughter of non-Christians but simply present the painful reality of Scripture.

"We can't read it some other way just because it sounds exclusivistic and not currently politically correct," Mr. Jenkins said in an e-mail. "That's our crucible, an offensive and divisive message in an age of plurality and tolerance."

Silly me. I'd forgotten the passage in the Bible about how Jesus intends to roast everyone from the good Samaritan to Gandhi in everlasting fire, simply because they weren't born-again Christians.

I accept that Mr. Jenkins and Mr. LaHaye are sincere. (They base their conclusions on John 3.) But I've sat down in Pakistani and Iraqi mosques with Muslim fundamentalists, and they offered the same defense: they're just applying God's word.

Now, I've often written that blue staters should be less snooty toward fundamentalist Christians, and I realize that this column will seem pretty snooty. But if I praise the good work of evangelicals - like their superb relief efforts in Darfur - I'll also condemn what I perceive as bigotry. A dialogue about faith must move past taboos and discuss differences bluntly. That's what blue staters and red staters need to do about religion and the "Left Behind" books.

For starters, it's worth pointing out that those predicting an apocalypse have a long and lousy record. In America, tens of thousands of followers of William Miller waited eagerly for Jesus to reappear on Oct. 22, 1844. Some of these Millerites had given away all their belongings, and the no-show was called the Great Disappointment.

In more recent times, the best-selling nonfiction book of the 1970's was Hal Lindsey's "The Late Great Planet Earth," selling 18 million copies worldwide with its predictions of a Second Coming. Then, one of the hottest best sellers in 1988 was a booklet called "88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988." Oops.

Now we have the hugely profitable "Left Behind" financial empire, whose Web site flatly says that the authors "think this generation will witness the end of history." The site sells every "Left Behind" spinoff imaginable, including screen savers, regular prophecies sent to your mobile phone, children's versions of the books, audiobooks, graphic novels, videos, calendars, music and a $6.50-a-month prophesy club. This isn't religion, this is brand management.

If Mr. LaHaye and Mr. Jenkins honestly believe that the end of the world may be imminent, why not waive royalties? Why don't they use the millions of dollars in profits to help the poor - and increase their own chances of getting into heaven?

Mr. Jenkins told me that he gives 20 to 40 percent of his income to charity, and that's commendable. But there are millions more where that came from. Mr. LaHaye and Mr. Jenkins might spend less time puzzling over obscure passages in the Book of Revelation and more time with the straightforward language of Matthew 6:19, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth." Or Matthew 19:21, where Jesus advises a rich man: "Sell your possessions and give the money to the poor. . . . It will be hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven."

So I challenge the authors to a bet: if the events of the Apocalypse arrive in the next 10 years, then I'll donate $500 to the battle against the Antichrist; if it doesn't, you donate $500 to a charity of my choosing that fights poverty - and bigotry.

I don't know what God's timing is.

I know that timing has been speeded up somehow, if that makes any sense. LOL.

I know that hell--whatever that is--is some sort of encapsulated place rather devoid of any sense of God's presence etc.

God will not force people to be with Him and to play by His rules. But He will also not allow them to pollute His perfection when He decides to cleanse the universe of rebellion. An move that appears to be around the corner.

God through Elijah (or was it Elisha?) and others have periodically declared:

CHOOSE THIS DAY WHOM YOU WILL SERVE.

We can choose ourselves, sin, satan and a variety of alternatives to God. The end result will be the same--isolation from God, good and perfection--call it whatever you will.

Christ declared that no man got to Father God except through Him. He rose again to demonstrate He had that authority. More than 500 witnesses saw him after the resurrection teaching, eating, running around loose and very alive. That's not true of any other religion. Either Christ was an insane idiot OR He was who He said He was. IF He was who He said He was, then He must be believed and obeyed.

God says THOSE WHO SEEK HIM will find Him. I believe that even includes folks earnestly seeking Almighty God through the foggy deceptions of other belief systems. I have no elaborate doctrinal proof etc. of that. It's a personal belief based on that one Scripture and some other . . . inputs and experiences. I believe that ultimately--finding God means accepting Christ as Savior whether on one's death bed or however God works that out.

God plays for keeps. But thankfully, as Scripture says, Mercy triumphs over judgment. However, He IS ALSO a fierce and jealous God. Rebellion will ultimately not be tolerated. Perfection cannot tolerate it.

Those who would sit in judgment of God in the Old Testament wiping out whole people groups do not have a perspective near enough to God, much less ABOVE GOD from which to judge HIM. I'm convinced that from an eternal perspective, all will acknowledge that God does ALL THINGS well, perfectly.

Scripure declares that every knee shall bow, every tongue confess that Christ is Lord. I 100% believe it. The timing of one's doing so has everything to do with deciding whether one will be in eternal intimate fellowship with God or willfully isolated from Him. And that will make MUCH MORE THAN a world of difference.

All the significant evidences indicates we VERY MUCH ARE in the birth pangs leading up to the Great Tribulation(s) of the end times spoken of in The Bible. I grow weary of the nonsense, blindness and ignorance otherwise and will likely not respond much to such noise. I've studied it since Jr High and find the conclusion inescapable.

The World Government and world monetary system with the implantable ID so well matching the Biblical warning about the mark are two facts, which alone, would indicate that. There are dozens and dozens of other issues, clues, puzzle pieces--with thousands of advancing individual data points toward the end game to support such convictions. George Soros and company are prime examples.

Sometimes, it has seemed in days and centuries past that God can rather easily spend both His servants and saints as well as enemies like used water. But I know He does all things well and from absolute Love tempered by Perfection and Perfect judgment.

There is a telling Scripture that says that we will be judged by the standards we've used to judge others. God won't need to condemn us. Our lives and pontifications will condemn ourselves unless our sins have been confessed, repented of and Christ's Blood accepted as their covering.

Part of the message of Christ is that we CANNOT live up to even our own standards. All have sinned and gone astray. All are in need of a Savior.

The many accounts of Moslems around the world having dreams and visions of Jesus are examples of God's Love, imho, reaching out to those who truly want a relationship with God Almighty. Many of them experience Christ in their dreams and visions as God and submit wonderously and blessedly to Him in their experience as His being God. Then they have to go out and carefully, cautiously find out who this Jesus is, having never learned of Him.

There have been similar historical examples of people finding God without missionaries or any other human input.

I don't have all the answers about suffering. I just know from my own extensive suffering that it is not mindless and does not occur, is not allowed without a higher goal in mind. Submission to God in all things maximizes the benefit.

Regardless. God is THE BOSS.

Ranting and railing against Him will prove more than idiotic and futile. It will prove to be eternally terminal.

One makes one's choices in little and big ways daily. At some point, those choices are conclusive and eternity is set for that individual.

Let us all choose God, choose Life.

It is not bigotry to notice when the sun is up. It is not bigotry to notice that evil is evil and good is good. It is not bigotry to choose Life and encourage others to do the same.

The conflict between Elisha and the prophets of Baal demonstrated quite clearly who's God was God. There will be 100's of such demonstrations--likely within 10 years but certainly within the lifetime of those seeing Israel become a nation again in a day in 1948.

The times and options are rapidly running out the bottom of the terminal hour glass.

Those interested in prophetic issues may find this thread of interest:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1274030/posts

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